Future
by Pulse5
Summary: 25 years after the War with the Reapers, Commander Ben Lawson investigates a plot to overthrow the Citadel Council, but his investigation ultimately leads him and his team to discover something far more sinister than they originally anticipated...
1. Prologue

_*Author's note: This story is written under the assumption that the galactic community prevailed and defeated the Reapers in the upcoming game Mass Effect 3. This is just my version of a Mass Effect future, enjoy!_

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_**Mass Effect: Future**_

_**Prologue**_

Rade Nazaki casually strolled through the streets of Elysium, feeling troubled. He was in a foul mood, the main reason because his mercenary team failed a recent assignment. Though it was not his fault, the costly mistake of one ruined the entire operation for the rest of them. Now their client was angry, and he saw no chance of them being able to make up for it. He was part of a newly formed mercenary organisation, _Red Eye_, and clients usually come to them because they were cheap. It was rare for them to fail, but in this case, things had gone wrong. Their task was to retrieve a data log from an Alliance facility that could potentially incriminate their client. It was a fairly easy job. They had the numbers; they had the firepower, but then one squad member, who was apparently supposed to be on guard and watch for reinforcements, decided he deserved to have a little fun with some of the female hostages. This in turn allowed the Alliance reinforcements to barge in and blow his eliminate him before he could warn the rest of the team (not that his bothered Rade, in his opinion the bastard deserved what he got). One thing led to the next, and before he knew it, they were being killed off one by one. Only a handful of them managed to escape with their lives. He was one of them. Of course he still had to watch out for the Galactic Authorities, but because he was wearing a helmet, they had no way of identifying him. The turian turned into an alleyway and cursed under his breath. He had been counting on this mission to go well, as he needed the funds. He owed some people a lot of money, and they were growing impatient. He was frustrated, and he felt the need to take it out on someone. Rade crossed the street and into a local club by the name of _Icon_. As he entered, he felt the sudden burst of loud music fill his ears. It was a fairly popular club, especially to the humans and the asari, who were clearly dominant among the crowds; however, some of the bartenders were turians and batarians.

"What'll it be?" the turian bartender asked him as he sat down at the counter.

"Give me the strongest stuff you got." Rade replied. The bartender reached for a bottle behind the bar and poured some bluish liquid into a glass. Rade took a sip and let it sink in. It was definitely strong alright, just what he needed. Rade looked out amongst the attendees in the club, eying all the humans. He despised humankind. They were arrogant, power hungry, and not to mention they were the fastest growing sentient race in the galaxy, and they had been ever since they joined galactic community. It was a human that had caused the failure of his most recent assignment, giving Rade all the more reason to hate them. As he looked over towards the back door of the club, he saw a group of three human women exiting into the back alleyway. Perfect, he thought. He could definitely release some pent up rage, and what better way to do it than on some humans? Rade paid for his drink, and followed the three women outside.

"And what are you ladies up to tonight?" he asked as he caught up with them. The three women turned around, and Rade was not surprised to see that two of them were clearly drunk. The third woman gave a gentle smile and replied "My friends had a little too much to drink, so I'm taking them home." she half-chuckled, struggling to keep her wild friends in check.

"They just want to have some more fun..." Rade said, beginning to smile. "Leave them with me I'll definitely show them the meaning of _fun_." he emphasised the last word with a slightly forceful nature.

"Um... no thanks," the woman said, still smiling politely. "I think it best if I just take them home." Rade stepped forward and grasped the woman firmly on the arm, yanking her towards him.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," he said. "But it wasn't a request."

"L-Let me go..." the woman said, trying to break free of his firm grip, but Rade had no intention of releasing her. Her two friends, seeing this, took off down the alleyway and back out into the busy Elysium city streets.

"No one's going to hear you scream now." Rade growled. He grasped the girl by her shoulders and threw her to the ground. "You humans disgust me. You think you have the right to do anything in this galaxy." The girl attempted to crawl away but Rade stepped on her leg, preventing her from going anywhere. She was crying now, afraid of what this turian was going to do to her.

"I'm in a bit of a bad mood tonight," he grumbled, pulling her up by her hair and looking into her frightened eyes. She yelped in pain as he threw her into the steel wall behind them. "I'm going to enjoy this." Rade picked her up, again by her hair, and threw her to the ground. He carefully placed his foot over her head and began to slowly apply the pressure. He was going to stomp her into the ground. The girl cried in agony as he pushed a little harder each second.

"Let this be a lesson to your pathetic race." he laughed. But his smile was short-lived, as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. Two strong arms had grasped his shoulders, and he felt his body being thrown onto the hard ground. He quickly recovered and looked up to see who had attacked him. A young human male, who looked like he was in his late teens or early twenties, faced him.

"How dare you." said Rade, dusting himself off. "Just for that, I'm going to make you scream."

"I'd like to see you try." the man scoffed. "But if you lay another finger on this girl again, I'll tear your head off." Rade laughed. Was this human for real? He was an experienced mercenary; he had fought more battles than this kid had probably seen. Without a second glance, he reached for his Stinger pistol located on his right thigh and pulled it out. The weapon instantly began to unfold from its compact form, emerging as a fully formed handgun. Rade was ready to fire his weapon at the young man, but he had severely underestimated this human. To his surprise, the man charged and wrapped his arms around his own, bringing it into the wall behind him. The force of the attack caused Rade to drop his weapon, but the man didn't stop there. Once Rade was disarmed, the man threw the turian into the opposite wall, and giving him little time to recover, released an array of kicks and punches into his face and torso. Rade collapsed, but he wasn't out yet. He quickly recovered and sent a forceful punch towards the man, aiming for his jaw. The attack connected, sending the man stumbling backwards, clutching his injury. Rade saw his window of opportunity and shoved his opponent back against the wall.

"You're good kid, I'll give you that." he muttered. "I might even want to know your name before I put a bullet between your eyes." The man responded only by delivering his elbow into Rade's unprotected stomach, causing the turian to double over. While he was knelt over in pain, the man threw his knee into Rade's face, causing him to drop on his back. The man proceeded to kneel over the defeated mercenary, looked him in the eye and said: "The name's Ben Lawson, bitch." before his fist connected with the side of Rade's head, knocking him unconscious.

Ben Lawson got to his feet and gave one last look at his victory, before wiping the blood from his nose and turning around to face his 'damsel in distress'.

"You ok?" he asked, holding out a hand. The girl took his hand and he helped her to her feet.

"Yes, thank you so much." she replied, wiping the tears from her face. "If you hadn't come along, I don't know what would have happened to me."

"I was just lucky I came out here when I did." he smiled gently. He looked at her and gently wiped the remaining tears from the corner of her eyes. At last, a smile returned to her face.

"Well, well," a voice then came. "What do we have here?" The two of them turned to see a man, at least in his forties, exit the club by the back door. He gave a short glance to the unconscious turian lying on the floor, and then gave them a smile. By his uniform, Ben could tell he was from the Alliance.

"I'm Captain Julius Bale, Alliance Military." he introduced himself, holding out a hand. Ben stared for a couple of seconds before reluctantly shaking it in return.

"Ben Lawson." he replied simply.

"Yes, I know you, Ben." the Captain spoke. "Do you realise what you have just done?"

"I was just helping out someone in need... sir." he replied, almost forgetting that he was addressing a high-ranking officer of the Systems Alliance.

"We've been hunting this turian for quite a while now." Captain Bale said, bending down to get a good look at Rade's unconscious face. "He's a dangerous mercenary working with the _Red Eye _organisation. Heard of them?"

"Can't say I have." replied Ben. He was still holding the young woman's hand.

"They're a new mercenary group, fairly popular among their clients because they're cheap to hire. However, they don't always do a bang up job." Captain Bale explained.

"So... I took out a wanted merc," Ben said. "You're welcome?"

"I watched you fight him." Captain Bale said, getting to his feet and facing Ben once again. "The Alliance Military could use a man like you."

"I was never a big fan of the Systems Alliance, sir." replied Ben. "With all due respect, sir, I don't really like the way they do things in the galaxy."

"I understand how you feel," the Captain went on. "I too, sometimes disagree with what the Alliance does, but they mean well. Humanity is a growing population, and the Alliance does its best to defend our race, no matter what the cost."

"Yes, sir." was all Ben was able to say. He didn't know what else he could have said.

"To be frank, I'm surprised you haven't already enlisted, considering your family background." The Captain continued. "Did you know the accomplishments your mother achieved for the human race back in her prime?"

"I know what my mother did, but to be honest, sir, I haven't spoken to my mother in years." Ben replied.

"Ah, well, nonetheless, Miranda is undoubtedly regarded as one of humanity's greatest heroes, thanks to her services during the war against the Reapers." Ben stayed silent. It was true he was estranged from his mother, but sometimes he wondered if she left because she had no other choice.

"I see her strength in you." Captain Bale smiled. "You've even inherited that uncanny accent of hers." Ben couldn't help but give a slight smile in return. "If you change your mind, the Alliance Military would be glad to have you, dear boy."

"Thank you, sir." he replied respectively.

"Enjoy the rest of your night." Captain Bale said, smiling once more. "I'll get some of my men to clean up the mess." he added, nodding toward the immobile body of the turian at their feet. With that, he headed back into the club and out of sight.

* * *

It had been a week since his run in with the turian mercenary at the _Icon_ bar and club, and Ben Lawson couldn't get what the Captain had said out of his head. He had never really thought about enlisting in the Alliance Military, but what the Captain had said sparked some interest. He knew he didn't really want to work as a bartender at _Icon_ for the rest of his life, and perhaps this was an opportunity for him to do something great. His mother had left him when he was only ten years of age, for reasons he still did not know. One night, back on his homeworld Horizon, she told him she had to leave for reasons she could not say. Ben barely remembered what she had said next, but he thought he saw a tear in her eye as she turned away and exited the door. Since then, he had been raised by his Aunt Oriana, and when he was old enough, he moved out and found a job here, on Elysium, and has been here ever since. Enlisting in the Alliance could give him the opportunity to find the means to track down his mother. As angry as he was that she left, he had always longed to find her and seek out the truth as to her leaving. If he chose to enlist in the Alliance Military, he would have to travel to the Arcturus Station located in the Arcturus system. This was no problem, if he would only make up his mind. Closing his eyes, he gave it one final thought, and jumped out of bed. He decided that he didn't just _want _to enlist, he _had_ to. It was something he was born to do. He grabbed a bag and began to throw some clothes in. He was going to travel light. There was no need to bring everything; it was the start of something new, a new life to begin, and several hours later, he was aboard a transport shuttle that took all new recruits from various planets to the Arcturus Station to begin their military training. Time went by, and Ben continued to ponder his thoughts about his decision to enlist, until a voice spoke over the intercom, interrupting his thoughts.

"We are approaching Arcturus Station. We will be boarding in approximately thirty minutes." Ben took a peek out his window, and instead of seeing the dead black vacuum of space, he saw a magnificent structure looming before them. The structure was a large, donut-like ring, about 5 kilometres in diameter, and apparently housed over 45,000 residents. Ben wished his friends back on Elysium could see what he saw right now, but regardless, he retreated from the view and took in a deep breath. This was it. There was no turning back.


	2. Chapter One: Abduction

**Chapter One: **

**Abduction**

_Five years later_

Lieutenant Ben Lawson sat on his bed, re-reading the mission details they had received just a couple of days ago. The details were sketchy. The only thing he knew for sure was that for some reason, young children were being abducted and taken from their homes across the galaxy, and it wasn't just humans, children from all races and species. There was still no definitive reason as to why these people were targeting young children. He laid the datapad on the bedside table and let out a huge sigh. It had been six years since he first enlisted into the Alliance Military. He felt as though it was only yesterday that he'd been working at the _Icon_ bar back on Elysium, bartending to paying customers. But in those six years he had achieved a great deal of accomplishments and success, far beyond what he had expected, and what others had expected him to achieve. He graduated at the top of his class under the N7 elite operations program in the Academy, and his field work earned him many medals, citations and honors. Some have even recommended him to the council for Spectre status, but he himself knew he wasn't prepared for such a responsibility as that, just yet. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the low hum of the starship engines below him. The SSV _Valkyrie _was one of the Systems Alliance's most recent designs. It was originally intended to be purely a stealth frigate, but was ultimately commissioned to be equipped with the latest cutting edge weapons and stealth technology, making it one of the most advanced and most powerful starship the Alliance Military had to offer. She is also captained by Admiral Julius Bale, a war hero and the man who first introduced Lawson to the Alliance Military. Lawson was honored and privileged to serve as Bale's Executive Officer when he was first assigned.

"Lieutenant?" a voice over the com spoke, waking Lawson from his thoughts. "The Admiral wants to see you in the briefing room." Ben Lawson jumped to his feet and began to put on his clothes, a bodysuit-like uniform with the Systems Alliance logo stamped onto the left breast. Once he was dressed, he exited his dorm, hearing the faint hiss of the door as it closed behind him.

"You wanted to see me, Admiral?" Lawson asked, saluting his superior as he entered the briefing room.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Admiral Bale nodded. "We've received word that a human scientist by the name of Dr. Kate Jones has disappeared. We believe she has information on these abductions that have been happening.

"A couple of weeks ago, she was part of a testing and research team in a salarian facility on the planet Helyme. We do not have any information on what they were researching, but their facility was raided and robbed of their collected information."

"And she survived, sir?" Lawson guessed.

"She was one of three survivors in the raid." The Admiral went on. "She and two other head scientists were off-world when the assault happened. We believe that the people who raided the facility didn't know that there were any survivors until now, and they're now attempting to tie up any loose ends."

"Where is Dr. Jones now, sir?" Lawson asked.

"Her last known location is on Illium," Admiral Bale replied, bringing up a hologram of the charted world in the centre of the briefing room table. "She was last seen at the Eternity Bar on Illium, but has since then disappeared. We fear the people who raided the facility have found her."

"What do you propose we do, sir?" Lawson asked, walking forward to examine the hologram himself.

"We have to find her," The Admiral said firmly. "She holds valuable information regarding the possible motive behind the attack on the facility. If she dies, her information dies with her."

"How much longer until we reach our destination?" asked Lawson, examining the blueprints of the Eternity Bar and its surroundings.

"Twenty minutes." Admiral Bale stated.

"I'll get the ground team prepared sir." Lawson replied, and saluted once more before departing the briefing room.

Lieutenant Lawson gathered his team within five minutes of exiting the briefing room and had them brought down to the armory to get suited up. They were a team of four, including the Lieutenant himself.

"Can't wait to finally get down there." said the Armory Chief, Edward Miles. He was one of the first soldiers Lawson had ever worked with. His sometimes sarcastic attitude got on his nerves, but he learned that though Miles could be arrogant at times, he never failed to get the job done. He had even saved Lawson a couple of times during their time together.

"This isn't a holiday." replied Gunnery Chief Ellie Sutherland. Ellie was the second soldier Lawson had worked with on the field. Originally a Private, her time with Lawson and Miles strengthened her and fed her experience beyond her expectations, allowing her to be promoted to Gunnery Chief in a few short years. She was a pretty attractive woman, most of the men in the Military would often try and hook up with her while off-duty, but though she was pretty, she could knock out several soldiers if they pissed her off enough. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was almost always tied back, but around Lawson and the team, she let it down. Lawson didn't really care. Small things such as that were trivial among teammates who had served together for almost four years.

"I know, but it'll be great to see something other than the black void of space." Edward replied, giving a slight chuckle.

"I kind of enjoy being on this ship," Corporal Nathan Ford added. "It's nice and quiet." Nathan Ford was the Science Officer on the SSV _Valkyrie_, and was almost always in his laboratory designing, building, experimenting, and researching new things to improve the team's armor and weaponry. He even had a few 'self-inventions' which he had yet to test, but regardless, he was an intelligent and brilliant man, and also a great asset to the team on the field. Being an expert marksman, Lawson always had him covering the team from a distance, and he rarely missed his mark.

"Oh please, you're in your freakin' lab all day and all night," Edward replied. "And it's only quiet because no one wants to set foot in your creepy lab."

"Settle down, boys..." Lawson warned, but he couldn't help but smile a little. He liked his team. He had worked with them for years. When he was given the opportunity to handpick some of the crew, these three were at the top of his list. He knew he could always count on them to have his back. They weren't just colleagues, or teammates, they had become friends.

"I wonder if Illium has any fine women in their bars." Edward wondered out loud. "We could always use a little break."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm a woman." Ellie shot back. "We aren't tools to be used. Besides, the Lieutenant isn't like that, he wouldn't let you."

"Aw, come on, even the Lieutenant's human. He needs a break once in a while, to relieve the stress." Edward grinned, finishing with a wink. "It's not like we all have someone waiting for us back home, we're soldiers." Lawson didn't reply but he knew Miles was right about that. He had never really disclosed his personal life to anyone, not even these three. It was true that he did once have a special someone he could go home to. The young girl he had saved from the turian mercenary outside the _Icon_ bar five years ago had then become his girlfriend. They had reconnected after he took a visit back home to Elysium a couple of years after he enlisted, and they just hit it off. They were even engaged at one point, but the struggle of keeping a relationship together while he was continuously out on patrol, it just became too much for her. Lawson knew inside that she deserved to be happy with someone who could always be there for her when she needed them. Since then, he hadn't sought out any more relationships. He knew that, as a soldier, his duty would always come first.

"Lieutenant, we'll be docking in five minutes." the helmsman, James Piers, called in over the intercom.

"Alright ground team; let's get ready to move out." Lawson declared, attaching the collapsed form of his assault rifle to his pack attached to his back. He slapped his pistol onto his right thigh, and checked that his shotgun was safely secured on the back of his waist. Once the ship had docked, the ground team exited the ship and were greeted by an asari from the Police Department.

"Welcome to Illium, Lieutenant." she welcomed them. "We have been filled in on why you are here."

"Have you located the doctor yet?"

"Not quite," the officer replied. "Our people are still searching. However, she was last seen at the Eternity Bar, perhaps asking around might provide some answers for you."

Lawson nodded in agreement. "We had planned on beginning our investigation there."

"Let us know if you need anything, Lieutenant." the officer said, shaking his hand before departing.

"So where's the Eternity Bar?" Ellie asked, heading out to one of the balconies and peering down into the vast city before them. Illium was a generally warm and heated planet; settlement is only possible at higher latitudes, hence the many skyscrapers built to allow this.

"Not far from here," Nathan replied, scanning his Omni-tool. Should just be a few blocks.

"I know where it is." Lawson said. "I've been here before."

"Since when?" Edward asked. It was true that Lawson had failed to mention that he had visited this planet once before. His Aunt Oriana had lived here when she was young, and when he was a child, she took him here once. He came again when he was older, but by himself.

"A long time ago." he simply replied. "Come on, let's move."

It didn't take long for them to reach the Eternity Bar. Once they entered, it was certainly different from what he remembered. It seemed as though they had expanded the bar, adding more sections and rooms, and even a VIP section. The patrons also seemed a little rougher than he remembered. _Some of them mercs and slavers, no doubt_, Lawson thought.

"Let's start with the bartenders." Lawson said. "Split up and ask around. Sutherland, you're with me, Miles, Ford, you two together."

"Yes sir." Edward acknowledged, and he and Nathan went left, while Lawson and Ellie went right. The batarian bartending didn't even bother to look up when Lawson walked up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" he simply asked.

"Excuse me?" Lawson replied.

"By the looks of you and your partner there, I'm assuming you aren't here for drinks." the batarian pointed out. "And I'm certainly hoping you won't be using those fancy guns in my bar."

"Relax, we're just here for a few questions." Lawson said, holding up a hand, as though he said 'we come in peace'.

"Well, make it quick," the batarian said. "Some of my customers are already eying you suspiciously."

"A human doctor was last seen here," Lawson said, getting straight to the point. He held up a datapad with the doctor's picture on it. "We'd like to know if you saw her." The batarian bartender took a glance at the photo, and then went back to cleaning glasses.

"Yeah I saw her." he said finally. "She sat at that table over there." he indicated to a small booth located in the far corner which was no occupied by a human man and an asari.

"How long ago?" Lawson asked.

"A few hours, if that." the batarian replied. "Some guys came up to her, they had a chat, and then they dragged her away."

"Dragged?" Ellie asked. "As in, forcibly took her away?"

"She certainly didn't want to go with them." the batarian replied. "You could tell she was trying to wrestle her way out."

"Who were these guys?" Lawson asked.

"Listen, I'm not saying anymore," the batarian bartender said, holding up his hands. "I've already said enough."

"Look, you have information that is highly valuable to us." Lawson said. "If you don't tell us, we can have the Illium PD arrest you for us."

"Alright, alright..." the batarian replied. "But you didn't hear this from me, got it?" he made sure the Lieutenant and his partner nodded in agreement before ushering them closer. "It was the _Red Eye_ Mercenary Organisation."

These words didn't really shock Lawson, he knew all too well about the _Red Eye_ mercenaries. Five years ago, the _Red Eye_ mercenaries were just starting out. They were the lowest of the low when it came to mercenary organisations. But for unknown reasons, during the five years Ben Lawson had been in the Academy, the _Red Eye_ mercenaries had gone from the pits to becoming the most notorious mercenary organisation in the galaxy, even outdoing the _Blue Suns _and _Eclipse_. The Council has struggled to get them under control, even wipe them out til this day, but to no avail. They had grown not just in numbers, but in power. Even the Council's famed agents, the Spectres, couldn't fare against them, albeit they still tried.

"You sure it was them?" Lawson asked. He had to make sure. If _Red Eye_ was involved, it could cause more trouble for them than they had anticipated.

"Positive." The bartender replied. "There was no mistaking their markings."

"Thanks for the information." Lawson said, giving a curt nod. "We won't be bothering you again." Lawson and Ellie retreated from the bar and headed back towards the entrance, where Edward and Nathan were already waiting.

"Did you guys have any luck?" Edward asked as soon as they walked up to them. "Because we got squat."

"We got a lead." Lawson said. "The Red Eye organisation took her."

"Red Eye?" Nathan repeated. "That's not good."

"We need to go to Illium PD and see what information they have on the Red Eye organisation." Lawson said, heading out of the Eternity Bar. "If they've been here, someone else must have seen them."

Lawson and his team headed towards the spaceport, where the Illium Police Department was located. Once they arrived, they sought out the head detective, who was at her desk.

"Detective?" Lawson asked as he approached the desk.

"Yes, Detective Lori'Tsa, how may I help you?" the detective asked.

"We've received fairly good intel that they may be some Red Eye mercenaries on Illium." Lawson continued. "We need to know if you had any information on it."

"You're the Alliance people." she said, studying them. "We have had reports that Red Eye mercenaries were in the area... but we haven't done anything to stop them. I mean, how could we?" Lawson couldn't blame her that. The Red Eye organisation was very influential. They could turn cops against one another if they pleased. There was no way a simple Police Department could stop them if even the Council's Spectres had trouble.

"We've already had more than three of our police officers killed while facing them and two have disappeared while off-duty." Detective Lori continued. "We have no doubt that it's the Red Eye mercs behind it though."

"We need to find them." Lawson said. "Can you give us any leads on where we can find them?"

"We've received word that they have some kind of home base somewhere in the back alleys and the warehouses, but we've never really checked it out." Detective Lori replied.

"We need to check it out." Lawson said firmly.

"I'll send word ahead that you're heading in." the detective said. "Just watch your back in there."

"Thanks, Detective." Lawson replied. His team entered the back alleys of Illium, they're weapons drawn and at the ready for any sign of a threat.

"It's too quiet back here..." Nathan muttered.

"Stay on your toes." Lawson answered back. "We don't know how many are out here." As they rounded a corner, Lawson heard some voices in the distance.

"...we've got her locked up in the warehouse." one voice said. "Relax, no one's coming to look for her, hell, the cops are scared of us, what are they going to do?"

"Still, it's good to keep an eye out." the second voice said.

"Nah... I've been to Illium loads of times. I could kill a civilian in front of a crowd and no one would give a damn, because once they see that I'm a Red Eye, they're all just going to turn the other way." the first voice scoffed.

"Has the doctor talked yet?" the second voice asked.

"Not sure," the first voice replied. "But when she does, we're just going to end up killing her anyway."

Lawson had heard enough. Signalling his team, he gave them the silent plan about how they were going to proceed, before collapsing his assault rifle back into its compact form and crawled around the cargo crates in front of him. His plan was that he was going to sneak up behind the first guy and take him out, at the same time; his team had to eliminate his friend before he could call for backup. He counted to three in his head, and leapt over the cargo crate, grasping the unsuspecting mercenary by surprise. He wrapped his arms around the bottom of the turian's chin, and the other above his head, and then he twisted. He heard the loud _crack_ of the neck breaking and the body instantly slumped into his arms. At that same moment, Gunnery Chief Ellie had brandished her silencer pistol and put a perfectly aimed bullet between the second merc's eyes. Both bodies dropped to the floor simultaneously.

"Nice work." Lawson acknowledged, dragging one of the body's into the corner so that it couldn't be seen, while Edward did the same with the second body. Up ahead, Lawson spotted a warehouse. That had to be the place the mercenaries were talking about. Gathering his team, they approached cautiously, weapons drawn once again. There were two guards stationed outside the main door. Lawson signalled for his marksman, Nathan, to position himself comfortably. The expert sniper fired two shots in quick succession, eliminating both foes at almost the same time.

"Nathan, stay here and cover us." Lawson ordered. "The rest of us are going in. If any merc tries to escape, take him out."

"Yes sir." Nathan replied. Lawson, Ellie, and Edward moved forward and positioned themselves outside the main doors. Lawson could faintly hear the sound of voices, and screaming. He nodded to his team, and held up three fingers. That was until he suddenly heard a gunshot. Signalling his team, he kicked down the door and instantly opened fire. He didn't have time to analyse how many mercenaries were situated inside. They could have well been outnumbered. Lawson saw six mercs drop to the floor as his team made their way inside, before dropping behind cover. He heard the sound of shotgun and assault rifle fire, and waited for a pause before ducking out of cover and firing a few short bursts of his assault rifle into the direction of the cowering mercs. One mercenary was too busy reloading he didn't see the crate in front of him. He stumbled forward, and that gave Ellie enough time to put three bullets into the man's head. Edward focused his fire on a Krogan mercenary. Thought krogan's were a tough species to kill, it was clear that this one was inexperienced and untrained. Edward slid out from his cover and sprayed the Krogan mercenary with a shower of bullets as he attempted to duck to cover. The bullets ripped through his shields and shredded his armor, leaving nothing in his torso area but a bloody mess. Soon, the returning fire of their enemies died down. There had been some difficulty taking them out; not all of the mercenaries had been complete trainees. But soon there was only one left. Lawson leapt out of cover and scanned the room, where he saw the last mercenary-a batarian-making a break for the door. Lawson pulled out his pistol and fired a few shots, but missed. However, as soon as the merc opened the door, a bullet ripped through his skull and he dropped, dead before he had even hit the floor. _Nice shot, Nate_, Lawson thought to himself. Ellie and Edward joined him at the centre of the warehouse, and Nathan soon followed once Lawson radioed him in. The body of Dr. Kate Jones lay before them, bloody and bruised. It appeared as though she had been tortured before they finally killed her. He knelt down to close the young doctor's eyes when he noticed that the dead mercenary closest to her was gripping something in his hand. He pried open the hand of the dead merc and examined the object. It was some kind of data file. He patched into the radio systems and linked up with the ship.

"Admiral," Lawson said. "We found the doctor, but the killed her before we got to her."

"That's unfortunate, Lieutenant, but did you find anything else?" the voice of the Admiral said back through his com.

"Yes sir, we found a data file." Lawson replied. "I think the mercenaries got it from the doctor before they killed her."

"Upload to us." the Admiral ordered.

"Yes sir." Lawson handed the data file to Nathan, who inputted it into his Omni-tool.

"We're decrypting now." the voice of the helmsman, James Piers, suddenly came in.

"Get back to the ship, Lawson." The Admiral ordered. "Let's see what you've found."

* * *

When the ground team arrived on board, Piers had just finished decrypting the file they had recovered. Lawson and his team met with them on deck.

"I'm reading this file... but... it can't be right..." Helmsman Piers said.

"What've you got, Piers?" Admiral Bale asked.

"It seems that the salarian facility on Helyme was researching genetic reconstruction." Piers replied.

"What's so bad about that?" Nathan asked.

"No, they were also planning to experiment on people. On _children_." he emphasised the last word.

"What kind of genetic reconstruction?" Lawson asked.

"No way..." Piers said, his eyes widening.

"What?" Ellie asked, looking at his screen.

"It's research for a program know as _Project Aries_." Piers explained. "They're planning to use collected synthetic and organic material from the _Reapers_ and implanting them into test subjects."

"_What_?!" Admiral Bale cried out.

"They're planning to make an army of soldiers, super soldiers. _Reaper_ soldiers."


	3. Chapter Two: Aries

**Chapter Two:**

**Aries**

Lieutenant Ben Lawson, his team, Admiral Julius Bale and Helmsman James Piers simply looked in shock at the data file that they had recovered from missing scientist Doctor Kate Jones. It seems as though the salarian research facility that had recently been attacked by the _Red Eye_ Mercenary organisation, had been working on a top secret project simply known as _Aries_. According to the decrypted data file, Project Aries was using synthetic and organic material collected from an ancient race only known to the galaxy as the _Reapers_, a highly advanced machine race, a race the galaxy knew all too well. Twenty-five years ago, the Reapers had waged war with all organic life in the galaxy. It was the fiercest and most dangerous war they had ever fought. Billions of lives were lost in the carnage, but the galactic community ultimately prevailed during the last stand in the Serpent Nebula, home of the Citadel. Since then, the galactic community had begun to rebuild, and to this day, new colonies and settlements are being established all across the galaxy.

"Are you saying they're testing this on _children_?" Ben Lawson asked again, finally breaking the silence.

"That's their first step, yes." Helmsman James Piers replied, still reading the decrypted data. "The data says it's because children are younger, their bodies are still in development, still growing, but it doesn't specifically say what that has to do with the genetic reconstruction, or the collected Reaper DNA."

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked. "The data is incomplete?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Piers replied. "The rest of the decrypted data isn't here..."

"It has to be, keep looking!" Admiral Bale ordered.

"I can't sir; this is all we've got!" Piers replied, clearly as frustrated as the Admiral himself. "There has to be more than one data file."

"You're saying that Dr. Jones only had a piece of the data?" Lawson asked.

"Yes sir." Piers responded, analysing the file. "Let's just say if Project Aries was a puzzle, we only have one piece of it."

"So we need the other data files to fully encrypt the information of this 'Project Aries'?" Admiral Bale questioned. "How many are there?"

"I can't be sure, sir." Piers replied. "But if there were three survivors of the Helyme Facility raid, then it might be safe to say that Dr. Jones and the other two survivors were each carrying a piece of the puzzle."

"Three survivors... three data files." Lawson mumbled. "It makes sense."

"Then we have to find the other two survivors before the Red Eye mercenaries do!" Edward cried out.

"Agreed," Admiral Bale nodded. "But first, I think we have to report this to the Council. They'll want to know about this."

"Aye, aye, Admiral." Piers said. "Setting a course for the Citadel."

Lawson heard the ship's FTL drives power up, and the SSV _Valkyrie_ set a course for the closest Mass Relay.

"Lieutenant, I need you debriefed in the briefing room." Admiral Bale said.

"Right away, Admiral." Lawson saluted. He turned to his team, "Get that armor off guys and meet us in the briefing room."

* * *

After the debriefing session, Ben Lawson headed to his quarters for a much needed break. He felt tired, and he felt the need for sleep, but he couldn't, not after the information they had just discovered. The galaxy thought they had heard the last of the Reapers twenty-five years ago, obviously not. Ben had so many thoughts running through his head; what was the true purpose of Project Aries? Had the testing already begun? What abilities would the test subjects be exposed to? And why children? So many questions were to be answered. Hopefully, when they recover the other two data files, the whole plot would come to light. That's if the other two holders of the data weren't already dead. Lawson felt that heading to the Citadel now could be a waste of valuable time, time that could be spent searching for the remaining two survivors of the facility raid, but he knew that the Council would want, and would need to know about something such as this. A Project such as _Aries_ posed a huge threat not only to them, but to the entire galaxy. His thoughts were interrupted with the arrival of Gunnery Chief Ellie Sutherland.

"Lieutenant, you ok sir?" she asked.

"Ellie, please, we're off-duty." he sighed. "You don't have to address me so formally."

"Sorry sir-ah, I mean..." she trailed off, slightly embarrassed. Lawson chuckled to himself.

"Come, sit down." he said, motioning to the seat on the couch beside him. He waited for her to be seated before asking her his next question. "It was a lot to take in, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." she simply said. "It really shows how sick some people can be." Lawson just made a nod in agreement, and Ellie went on, "I'm just disgusted that one of us was a part of it."

"What do you mean?" Lawson asked.

"A human scientist." Ellie replied, and Ben instantly knew what she meant. "I mean, it puts the rest of us to shame."

"No matter what we do, Ellie, there's always going to be rebels from each race, thinking that they do what they do for the greater good, or for some self-righteous reason. Or for revenge." Lawson said. "Some people even do it just because they want to."

"They should be locked up." she muttered quietly, just loud enough for Lawson to hear her. He had known her for three years; he knew she hated the traitors and the rebels of each allied race. She felt as though that people like her had worked so hard to represent their own race as a trustworthy and dedicated people, and people such as Dr. Jones just bring that down. He placed a warm hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile.

"Don't worry Ellie," he said. "We'll get the bastards responsible. There's no way this galaxy is ready for another galactic war." She half-smiled back, half amused, perhaps half worried, Lawson couldn't tell. She reached her hand over and placed over his hand, and he could feel her warm fingers entwined into his. Throughout all their years of service together, they never really had a chance to talk just as friends. It was nice to finally get some time to do that, even though it was for a short while.

* * *

The SSV _Valkyrie_ docked at the Citadel spaceport, with all its personnel ready to disembark. While the Admiral, the Lieutenant, and his team reported to the Council, the rest of the crew were required for maintenance work on the starship. They weren't sure of what task the Council were going to appoint them for; it was important for the ship to be in top shape, should the task and opportunity present itself.

It had been a while since Lawson had visited the Citadel's presidium. The last time he was there, we was being recommended for Spectre status, which he politely refused. Back then, in his own opinion, he was too young and too inexperienced to have that much responsibility. But if they offered him the chance to prove his worth now, he might reconsider.

"We've already requested an audience with the Council." Admiral Bale said, as they travelled up the lift towards the presidium. "Ambassador Vail is meeting us there." Ruth Vail had been nominated as Ambassador for humanity in 2198, succeeding Donnel Udina. Ambassador Vail was also the daughter to Ambassador Goyle, who preceded Udina, and the was the first Ambassador to represent humanity on the Council.

"When we get to the Council, let me do the talking." Admiral Bale requested. "But if the Council questions you, tell them what you know."

"You got it, Admiral." Lawson replied. At that moment, the elevator doors hissed open to reveal Ambassador Vail awaiting their arrival.

"I read your report on the matter, Admiral," she said as soon as they exited the elevator, quickening her stride to keep up with the anxious Admiral. "Just how serious is this threat?"

"We can't be sure as of yet, Ambassador." Admiral Bale replied hurriedly. "There are still two files out there that we need to get our hands on before the Red Eye organisation does. They hold all the answers."

"And you, Lieutenant?" the Ambassador asked. "What do you think this information means?"

"To tell you the truth, Ambassador," Lawson replied. "I think we're in for one hell of a ride."

The group ascended the stairs towards the Petitioner's stage, just as the Councillors emerged from the back of the raised platform at the heart of the chamber. The Citadel Council consisted of four main councillors: an asari, a salarian, a turian, and a human.

"Welcome Ambassador, Admiral, Lieutenant." the asari Councillor greeted with a warm smile.

"Thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice, Councillor." Ambassador Vail said, greeting them accordingly.

"You mentioned that it was urgent?" the turian asked, now eying the Lieutenant and his team.

"Yes Councillor," Admiral Bale spoke this time. "We were investigating an attack on a salarian research facility on Helyme, in the Crescent Nebula."

"I was not aware of any salarian research facility on Helyme." the salarian Councillor said.

"You wouldn't have, Councillor," Admiral Bale continued. "It was an illegal base conducting illegal research and experimental procedures. The facility was raided recently, and everyone inside was killed."

"Go on," the asari motioned.

"We received word from one of our Alliance Research Stations that one of our head scientists, Dr. Kate Jones, was missing." Admiral Bale began. "So we followed it up and found out that not only had she had been part of this illegal facility on Helyme, but she survived the initial raid. Not long after, we got a lead indicating that she was last seen on Illium. I had my ground team track her down, unfortunately, she had been captured by the Red Eye mercenary organisation, and before we could find her, they had her eliminated."

"So then?" the human councillor asked, wondering where this was actually headed.

"My ground team managed to take out the group of mercs that had originally abducted Dr. Jones." Admiral Bale went on. "And it seemed as though they recovered a data file from her before they killed her. In this data file, it contained information about the illegal research and experiments they were conducting, and studying." he paused, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "Councillors, it was research about synthetic and organic materials collected from the Reapers, known as _Project Aries_." The look on each of the Councillor's faces changed immediately to shock and horror from what they had just heard.

"Did I hear you correctly, Admiral?" the human Councillor asked. "_Reapers_?"

"Yes, Councillor." the Admiral replied.

"But the Reapers have been wiped out, vanished, we destroyed them for God's sakes!" the human councillor cried out.

"That's not all," Admiral Bale said. "They're implanting these materials into the genes of their test subjects. Genetic reconstruction. It would seem as though they are building an army, an army of Reaper soldiers."

"This is absurd!" the turian shouted. "Do you have the evidence to support all you have claimed?"

"Right here, Councillor." Lawson finally said, holding up the data file they recovered from Illium. "Everything's in here."

"They're also testing on children, Councillors." Admiral Bale continued. "Children from all species; human, asari, turian, salarian, Krogan, you name it."

"This is indeed a delicate matter." the salarian croaked. "Something must be done."

"We will send our Spectres out immediately." the asari added.

"We believe that the data file we are currently in possession of is one of three pieces." Admiral Bale informed them. "If we hope to uncover this plot, we need to locate the last two data files."

"And where are these files, Admiral?" the salarian asked.

"We know that there were two other survivors of the research facility raid. If Dr. Jones had this data file on her when she died, there's a good chance that the other two survivors are in possession of the second and third files."

"Very well." the asari noted. "We will make finding these survivors our top priority."

"Wait, Councillors." Lawson said, holding up a hand. Admiral Bale gave him a look as if to say 'what the hell are you doing?'

"What is it, Lieutenant?" the human councillor asked.

"I'd like to request permission to pursue the two remaining survivors and recover the remaining data files." he said.

"What is your reason for this request, Lieutenant?" the turian asked.

"If this threat is as real and as dangerous as it sounds, Councillors, then your Spectres cannot do it alone." Lawson said.

"Are you underestimating our Spectres, Lieutenant?" the asari questioned.

"No Councillor," he replied solemnly. "I'm offering my help. "I know my team is qualified for the job, and if I undergo this task, then it leaves your Spectres free to locate and hunt down the true location of this project, and stop any testing or production." There was a moment of silence among the Council as they stared at one another, before moving away from the platform to discuss what the Lieutenant had suggested. Moments later, they emerged.

"Very well, Lieutenant." the asari spoke. "You're request is granted. Should you locate and recover the remaining data files, you are ordered to transmit them to the Council upon acquisition."

"You have my word, Councillor." Lawson agreed.

"Very well." the asari nodded in reply. "This meeting is adjourned."

"What the hell were you thinking, Lieutenant?" Admiral Bale said as soon as they were at the bottom of the Petitioner's stage. "It's almost suicide! Whoever's after those data files will do anything to get them back, _anything_!"

"Sir, no matter how much we want to deny it, we're already involved in this mess." Lawson stated. "We might as well do our best help instead of sitting around patrolling the dark void of space. Isn't that who we are? Isn't that what humanity stands for?" the Admiral just merely stared at him. He knew that the Admiral knew he was right. "Remember Admiral, it was a _human_ who stood up to the Reapers when no one else would, it was a _human_ that bought this galaxy freedom."

"Very well, Lieutenant." the Admiral nodded. He stood up straighter, and placed a firm hand on Lawson's shoulder, like he was proud of a son. "I'm here by promoting you to Lieutenant Commander." Lawson's eyes widened. _Commander?_ He thought.

"I cannot accompany you on this quest, Lawson." Admiral Bale stated. "It's not my mission to save the galaxy. It's yours. It's in your blood." Lawson was unsure what the Admiral had meant when he said _"it's in your blood"_, but he figured it was just a figure of speech.

"Thank you, Admiral." he saluted.

"Commander Lawson, you are now acting CO of the SSV _Valkyrie_." the Admiral said. "I wish you the best of luck, soldier."

"Thank you, Admiral." Commander Lawson replied. The Admiral gave a salute of his own, before departing with the Ambassador, who was heading back to the Embassy. Lawson turned to his teammates.

"I'm sure you all know what we have to do now." he said. "Our mission is to seek out the two remaining survivors and recover their data files."

"Aye aye, Commander." Edward grinned. "That has a nice ring to it."

"I agree." Nathan chuckled.

"We're ready when you are, Commander." Ellie said, stepping into the elevator. Lawson followed after her, with Nathan and Edward by his side. As now acting Commanding Officer, all the lives aboard the SSV _Valkyrie_ were now his responsibility. He felt a slight sense of uneasiness in his stomach. Was he able to carry out his new responsibilities? What if he failed? _No,_ he thought to himself, as he exited the elevator and headed towards the starship. _His_ starship now. No matter what the cost, he _will_ prevent the return of the Reapers, no matter whom or what they embodied. It was a human who did it once before, and he would forever be remembered in history as the galaxy's saviour. Now it was his turn to make a difference.

"Alright team," he said, as the airlock to the ship hissed open. "Let's do this."


End file.
